The March 16, 2021 killing of six women of Asian descent and two others brought Asian Buddhists together across lineages and communities to confront anti-Asian hate. A year later, the LA Times followed up with organizers of those efforts. The story quotes CRCC’s Nalika Gajweera, who in addition to studying race and Buddhism, is one of the co-directors of the Asian American Buddhist Working Group:
“So much of what has happened after the event is the acknowledgment that there is this shared experience, and that we have all, in different ways, confronted racism and white supremacy in America,” said Nalika Gajaweera, a research anthropologist at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at USC. “We may not respond in a coherent voice, but we’re having a conversation.”
Buddhist congregations have always supported Asian Americans against the hate they have encountered in society, she also told the LA Times. “It might not seem like activism, but it is the day-to-day activism of keeping your doors open and supporting your community.”
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Photo of Higashi Honganji in Los Angeles by Nandaro (Creative Commons)
